The Petri 2.8 is a rangefinder camera for classic 35mm film introduced in 1957 by the Japanese manufacturer Kuribayashi Camera Industry. On its body front, it already bears the name "Petri 2.8 Color Corrected Super," but in historical technical literature and to clearly distinguish it from successor models, it is usually simply referred to as the Petri 2.8. It marked the beginning of a series of very successful viewfinder cameras with which the company was able to gain market share in the highly competitive segment of 35mm cameras.
Development History
In the late 1950s, the Japanese camera industry was in a phase of rapid growth. Kuribayashi, one of the oldest manufacturers in the country, sought a way to compete with established brands by offering inexpensive but mechanically sophisticated cameras. The result of these efforts was the Petri 2.8.
The model was aimed at discerning amateurs who sought a solid mechanical camera without built-in light metering and focused on precise manual operation. Production of this original model was relatively short and was discontinued in 1958 to make way for the subsequent, technically revised model generation.
Exposure and Optics
The camera is equipped with a fixed normal lens of the type Petri Orikkor 45mm f/2.8 (also referred to as 4.5cm f/2.8). It is a classic four-element construction based on the Tessar principle. The lens elements received a special coating designed to minimize chromatic aberrations to ensure correct color reproduction on the increasingly popular color films of the time. Manual focusing is done via a focusing lever attached to the side of the lens, allowing quick focusing with just one finger.
The shutter is a leaf shutter integrated into the lens, type Carper MX (often also referred to as Copal MX). The fully mechanical shutter covers exposure times from 1 second to 1/300 second and has a setting for arbitrarily long exposures (B). The shutter does not have a built-in self-timer. For flash photography, an M/X switch for flashbulbs and electronic flash units is present directly on the lens, with synchronization working at all shutter speeds.
Body and Viewfinder System
The sturdy body consists of a robust metal construction with classic black leatherette. On the top of the body are the manual rapid advance lever for film transport, a mechanical frame counter that must be manually reset after loading a new film, and a small dial on the rewind knob that serves as a reminder for the film speed used. The optical viewfinder of the original Petri 2.8 offers a clear viewfinder image with a coupled split-image rangefinder for precise focusing.
Films for the Petri 2.8
Which films are needed for the Petri 2.8? The camera is designed for 35mm film. 35mm films are still offered by various manufacturers. For black-and-white photography in 35mm format, the Kodak T-Max 400* is a good choice. For color images, one can use Kodak Ultramax 400*. Of course, films from other manufacturers can also be used.
